Pages

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Polly's Outing

Polly, the parrot, sat in her cage, contentedly eating sun-flower seeds. The sun, shining through the kitchen window at Orchard Hill Farm, cast a yellow glow over her olive green feathers and made the soft rose colored feathers on her throat take a deeper hue. But Polly was unaware of the lovely picture she made.

She finished her lunch with bits of tender green leaves which Jean had gathered for her just that morning. Suddenly she began a series of tours around her cage, turning her head from one side to the other in a funny manner as if she were considering some new antic with which to amuse her audience.

Jean and Jo Ann Giggled and then burst out laughing when Polly giggled in the very same tones that they did.

"Don't put your finger too close, Jo Ann, she might bite you," said Jean. But Jo Ann was not afraid, and Polly was holding her head in such an odd way that Jean cried happily, "Why she wants you to scratch her head."

Nothing could have made Jo Ann happier, for she had envied Jean as she petted the beautiful parrot.

When the girls ran out doors to play, Polly scolded and screamed her displeasure. She was lonely. She was never gayer then when the two little girls gave her their attention. She became very cross when they ran to play and left her in the house.

Polly was just about to stick her head in the green feathers at the back of her head and go to sleep, when she spied something which made her very excited! No one was in the room. The older folks were working in the garden and then the girls were out in the pine woods playing. So it happened that Polly was free from any voice saying "No, no, Polly."

Soon the happy chattering bird was walking and fluttering across to the open door, and out she went into the bright sunshine of the warm spring day.

Jean and Jo Ann were very busy building a playhouse of pine boughs in the weeds. They had found four small trees which formed the corners of their house and were busy filling the intervening spaces with evergreens, when they heard a commotion near the house. They saw Junior and Ray, their older brothers, running toward the house. It seemed to the girls that all the chickens on the farm, and all the bid in the trees were making some kind of a noise.

Above the noises of the farmyard could be heard the shrill whistle and the excited cries of Polly as she fluttered toward the pines.

By this time Daddy and Mother and the man who was helping Daddy had hear the calls of the pet parrot, and were hurrying from the field to see what had happened.

By this time Polly had flown to the lower limbs of a pine tree. She was making her way farther and farther toward the top of the big pine. She was scolding and screaming at the top of her voice and in her frightened condition, whoever climbed to get her might have a fight on his hands.

Ray was the only one who could climb up to where she was perched, and he knew he'd have his hands full trying to capture her. But, bravely he started to climb. Tier after tier of limbs he ascended. As he drew near the excited bird, he began to wonder how he could ever reach out to get her. Her bill was sharp enough to give a severe bite.

To the group gathered beneath the tree, it seemed ages before Ray was on a level with her. Jean was calling every sweet name she could think of, in order to calm her pet. But only once in a while did Polly seem to hear her.

Then all at once they saw Ray do a peculiar thing. She stopped climbing and began taking off his shirt. What in the world was he thinking of? Pretty soon he had edged his way a little nearer the parrot, and with a swift motion, he threw his shirt over the surprised bird and began his perilous descent. When he reached the ground and had given the poor frightened pet to Jean, he sad down exhausted.

It was a very thankful pet who hastened into her cage when the girls carried her to the house.

When Ray came to supper that night, Polly set up such a chatter, Jean declared she was trying to thank him for rescuing her from the high pine. Always after that Polly and Ray were good friends. Never again did she try to follow the girls. In fact, every time she found her cage door unfastened, she began scolding until someone closed it again.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6 NKJV

God has lovingly provided us with a number of rules and guidelines to help us get through life. Things like, obey your parents, do not lie, do not steel. Maybe you can think of some? Sometimes, these rules seem like frustrating roadblocks in the way of what we want to do in life! Most of us, at some point or another will be tempted to ignore what God has taught us and do what we want anyways!

We may feel that we, like Polly, are in a cage! We don't want to be in that cage. We want to be free! Free to fly (or walk in our case) and go wherever we please and do whatever we wish. Sadly, what many people find is a situation similar to the one Polly found herself in-a great big situation that we can't handle!

Jean didn't put Polly in a cage to be mean. Just the opposite. Polly was in the cage to protect her from things that would hurt her.

When temptations come about, ask God to help you make wise decisions. And, remember that He doesn't make laws in order to hurt you or keep you from being happy. He makes laws because He loves you.

If you will listen to God in all the choices you make, you won't find yourself in a situation you can't handle. Instead, you will always find yourself protected by the One who loves you and made you.